Robin Scherbatsky 102
by haveabreakfast
Summary: What really happened to Robin during the finale, from the divorce to the Blue French Horn (again). Robin-centric. Canon.
1. Chapter 1

_(Author's Note: an unpopular opinion here, I think the finale made a lot of sense. The only thing wrong with it is how they sped the whole story in just two episodes, while the first 22 episodes of the ninth season were absolute drag. This is what happened during those two last episodes, according to Robin Scherbatsky. I love Robin Scherbatsky.)_

_(Disclaimer: not mine, obviously.)_

**_Chapter 1. Goodbye_**

**_Manila, April 2016_**

Robin Scherbatsky walked briskly to the tall building of World Wide News newest quarter in South-East Asia. Her right hand held a plastic cup full of lukewarm coffee while her other hand was busy swiping the screen of her phone slash organizer. She had quite a jam-packed schedule today—interview with UN leader was one of them—but nothing she could handle, really. She was, after all, the face of one of the biggest news office in the world.

She pushed the glass door with her shoulder and was greeted by Larry the door keeper.

"Good morning, Miss Scherbatsky!"

"Please, Larry, you can call me Robin." She flashed a polite smile then continued into the elevator. Sipping her coffee, she waited.

_Ding!_

"Morning, Scherbatsky!"

"Nice shoes, Robin!"

"G'morning, Scherbs! Big day, eh?"

Robin replied each greeting with polite smile or acknowledging nod, though she actually hated that nickname. But, as far as she concerned, there was nothing unusual in this particular morning.

She was just putting her coffe on the table when a co-worker walked in her office.

"Hey, Scherbs, this came in the mail yesterday," said Holly, handing her a rather large brown envelope.

"Call me that again, Holly, and I'll steal your Harry Potter scarves," replied Robin, putting a dead-pan expression. Holly laughed and walked out.

Robin looked at the brown envelope in her hands, flipping it over to see the name of the sender. Her eyes widened as she read the name on the back.

'Barney Stinson, New York, USA.'

It was their divorce papers.

* * *

The bar was very busy that night. Young people mingled on the floor, dancing and flirting with each other. Robin watched them with little interest from the corner booth, nursing her third glass of scotch for the night.

She didn't know what she was doing in that place. All she knew was she didn't want to sit alone in the hotel room, not with her emotions going frenzy like this. So she went to the closest bar, although she ended up sitting alone anyway. At least she knew better to not cry at a public place like this.

Earlier this year, she and Barney had agreed to end their relationship. To this day, she still wasn't sure what brought them to this place. The first year of their marriage was amazing. She and Barney fitted like puzzles, everything was perfect in their little home. Then, she started getting assignments outside New York. She loved her job and had wanted to travel around the world. Her first mistake was believing that Barney loved it too. It turned out Barney wasn't much of a traveler. So, as she spent less and less time beside her husband, their hearts grew more and more apart.

The trip to Argentina was the last straw. They decided to split up. A week after that, she moved out of the apartment, taking a three-month job in Philipinnes. She hadn't heard from Barney until today, when he sent out their divorce papers.

She didn't know why she felt like crying when the papers arrived. It was a mutual decision from both of them from the start—signing the papers was just legalizing it. Still, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She stroke her wedding ring absent-mindedly. Even after three months, she was still wearing it. Maybe a part of her didn't want to let go of him, maybe a part of her was still clinging to him. She had never felt more confused. A single drop of tear rolled down her cheek.

"Robin? Robin Scherbatsky?"

She looked up. Someone was standing in front of her. She quickly wiped her eyes.

"Patrice? What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting a family here. What are _you_ doing? Oh wait, sorry, you're the face of WWN now. You're everywhere!" Patrice laughed warmly.

And then, suddenly, the dam broke. Once Robin started to cry, it became uncontrollable. Maybe it was just her emotions, or maybe it was seeing someone from her past. She wasn't sure.

"Hey, hey, what happened?" Patrice quickly took a seat in front of her, taking Robin's hand. When Robin didn't answer, she pulled her into a hug. "There, there... It's okay. Just let it out, okay?"

Five minutes later, as the tears subsided, Robin pulled away and wiped her face, feeling embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Patrice. It's been a long day."

Patrice smiled and offered her a handkerchief. "It's fine. You can talk to me if you want."

Robin just stared at Patrice. Sometimes she wondered how Patrice can be so nice to her, when all she does was screaming at her for no apparent reason.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Patrice.

Robin was never good with talking about emotions, but maybe this is the only way to let it out of her system, healthily. The other option was getting drunk like crazy—totally not a healthy one. Besides, she did consult with Patrice about her marriage once, that one time over the radio.

She nodded and took a deep breath. And she talked. Patrice listened patiently, not interrupting her until she finished.

"I don't know, Patrice. I did love him. I still do. But this isn't working anymore," finished Robin.

"Robin, when you were together, was he happy?" asked Patrice

Robin opened her mouth, then closed it again. She knew the answer—he already answered this question three months ago.

"No, he was not."

"What about you? Were you happy?" asked Patrice.

"If I'm being honest..." her voice trailed, she couldn't bring herself to admit it.

"When he married you, he promised to never lie to you, didn't he?" asked Patrice again. This time, Robin just nodded.

"Well, isn't it time that you start being honest to yourself, too?"

Robin was silent.

"I think you already know the answer, Robin," said Patrice, squeezing her hand lightly. And with that, she left.

Robin stared at her wedding ring once more. She remembered Barney's eyes everytime she told him she had to go abroad. She remembered seeing pain. She remembered feeling pain.

She loved him. She still does, but they couldn't live in a lie anymore. It's time to remove the ring. It's time to let go.

_(Author's Note again: so this is my second attempt in multi-chaptered story. The first one totally blew. You can help me not blow this one too by cheering on me. Just review, okay? Haha)_


	2. Chapter 2

_(Author's Note: I love Robin Scherbatsky.)_

_(Disclaimer: not mine, duh.)_

**_Chapter 2. Thank You_**

**_New York, May 2016_**

Spring was definitely the best time to be in New York, Robin thought. Having spent the last three months in the damp heat of Philippine, it was nice to be in New York again, specifically on the lest humid days of the year. So, on a particular Sunday afternoon, Robin found herself enjoying a leisure walk in Central Park, something she rarely did due to her working schedule.

She was thinking of buying something icy, maybe ice cream or ice cone, when a really short person bumped her on the knees. She looked down and found a little boy with reddish hair hugging her legs tightly.

"Auntie Robby!" cheered the boy, whom she recognized as Marvin Eriksen, Jr.

"Marvin! Don't just take off like that!" shouted a familiar female voice, which turned out to be Lily's.

Marvin let go of his aunt's legs and ran to his mother, who was standing a few meters in front of Robin. On her right was her daughter Daisy.

"Lily! It's so good to see you!" Robin went and hugged the redhead.

"You have no idea how we missed you! You've been gone for, what, a year?"

"It's four months, Lil. I was there when Penny was born!"

"Still, you're really busy! Traveling and all... and where's Barney anyway? Is he here?" Lily looked around for Barney, while Robin's stomach squirmed at the mention of Barney. She hadn't told anyone but Patrice, and she really wasn't ready to tell anyone from the gang. So she just stood there, mouth slightly agape.

Luckily for her, Lily was busy holding her kids down. When she failed to do so, she was forced to run after them.

"Sorry, I gotta run," said Lily hastily, "dinner at Ted's tonight, 8 sharp, okay? No buts! Bye, Robin!"

Robin sighed. Dinner with the gang only meant one thing: she needed to see Barney.

* * *

She sat at their booth in McLaren's, a bottle of beer and a brown envelope on the table. She kept glancing between her watch and the door, anxiously waiting for Barney. Fortunately, before she even ordered her second beer, the man showed up.

Barney waltzed in in his usual glory, suit and smirk plastered on his face.

"Robin! Aren't you a hottie!" greeted Barney, throwing her a dirty look, "and look at these two! Adorably awesome today, right? Right?"

Of course, he was referring to her breasts, which were on quite a display since she was wearing a low-cut sundress. He raised one hand for a high-five but Robin ignored it completely. How the heck was he able to act like this anyway? It was so—so normal! So him! Her anxieties quickly turned into anger. It took her a lot to try and be normal. It wasn't fair that Barney was able to do it far too easily.

"Sit, Barney," she ordered, motioning to the seat in front of her.

"Jeez, relax, Robin. You know I'm not going anywhere, anyway."

Robin mentally slapped herself. She needed to control her emotion. Barney was just being Barney, there's nothing to be upset about.

"So how was Thailand? Did you get to ride the elephants, if you know what I mean?" he asked jokingly.

Robin deadpanned. "Really, Barney? We just got divorced, remember? And it was Philippine. Don't act stupid because I know you knew since you sent me this."

She pointed at the brown envelope.

After a moment, he took the papers out of the envelope. Both their signatures were there.

"So, this is it," he said, his face serious.

"Yeah, this is it. It's final now."

He looked deeply into her eyes. Gone were all his flashy demeanor. The Barney in front of her, right now, was the Barney she fell in love years ago. The Barney who made a vow to always tell her the truth. The real Barney, who loved her and married her and got hurt by her.

She felt a tear coming up on her eyes. This was real. It was over.

He took both of her hands in his. His grey orbs softened. "Thank you, Robin, for the last three years. I had a good time. You were really awesome."

She looked back at him, searching for a sign of a lie. She found none.

"I... I..."

"I know, Robin. It's sad that we didn't work out well. But, hey, at least we tried, right?"

He smiled genuinely.

"Yeah, who knew that people like us can actually go and got married for three freaking years? We made it happened!"

"We're pretty cool, yeah."

They laughed together, the first time they did after what felt like a million years ago. And when the laughter faded, she looked closely at his face again. There was no trace of pain anymore.

"You're awesome, too. Thanks," said her.

Barney stood up and raised one hand.

"So... divorce-five?"

This time, she didn't reject his hand.

_(Author's Note again: Robin Scherbatsky loves people who give reviews)_


	3. Chapter 3

_(Author's note: This chapter happened the night Robin and Barney announced their divorce. This was supposed to be in chapter two but I hate ruining Swarkles moment. So, Ted got his own short moment on this one. _

_To srcrib: Thanks for the review! To be honest I haven't read many fics here about Robin and I sort of don't plan to because I don't want to mix the Robin I have in my mind right now. But I surely will after I finished this story. As for your question, I hope this chapter will get you some hint. _

_To SwarklesFan55: Thanks for reviewing! I'll stick to the canon (because I might be the only person who loves the finale) so this'll mostly be Mobatsky._

_To bikelock28: Thanks for reviewing! I wrote and proof-read this myself, I'll try better next time, haha! _

__Once again, thanks for the review!_)_

_(Disclaimer: I've never even been in New York)_

**_Chapter 3. Another Drink_**

**_Westchester County, New York, May 2016_**

"We got divorced."

Four pairs of eyes looked at her. They were shocked, especially Ted. Lily was visibly upset, she was on a verge of crying. Marshall was surprisingly calm. Tracy didn't utter a single word until the subject was changed.

When the night was finally over, it was a little after midnight. Robin was tired. Her first Sunday back in New York was something a bit of a roller-coaster. But, at least, she was glad that they all finally knew.

She was the last to leave, because Tracy insisted that she should hold Penny at least once before she went to who-knows-where. She was putting on her jacket and getting ready to leave when Ted stopped her with a glass of scotch on each hand.

"Just one more drink, please?"

She sighed and shrugged. He led her into his study. She followed, despite knowing what exactly Ted would try to do once they're inside. She looked around and decided to try small talks in order to avoid it.

"This is a nice room, Ted. Looks so... Mosby-ish."

Ted smiled with a bit hint of pride, "Well, it's just a room. It is very cool indeed but it's just a room."

She turned around and faced him, "So... It's late, I should probably get goi—"

"Robin are you okay?" asked Ted abruptly.

Some things about them never changed, apparently. For example, Ted's need to give too much concern about her well-being.

"I'm fine, Ted. Really, I'm fine."

He didn't look convinced, "Are you sure? Because you know I can cheer you up."

Her thoughts flew back to her earlier conversation with Barney. Today, they finally legalized the divorce. She was always the type of woman who knew what she wanted, and though she did have a moment of doubt before, now she was sure this was what they both needed. And although her feelings for Barney would probably still be there for a while, she knew they ended it in good terms. Just like Barney had said, it wasn't a failed marriage; it just happened to last only for three years.

"Yes, Ted. I'm sure. It's not easy at first, I admit, but I'm better now. Much better."

Despite her genuine smile that indicated that she was absolutely, definitively fine, Ted was still looking at her with his tell-me-your-problems-and-I'll-make-it-better face.

"Look, this is what we both wanted, okay? If Barney and I can live with it, so should you," said Robin.

To her surprise, her words got Ted into defensive mode. "I just want to make sure that you're fine, Robin. Is that so wrong?"

She sighed (again—she had been sighing all night since people found out about the divorce) and smiled weakly, "No, it's not wrong, Ted. Not at all. I thank you for your concern, but, really..."

"I. Am. Okay," she said punctuating every word. "And you don't have to cheer me up."

Something in her face finally got Ted an assurance. He smiled back and opened his arms widely, motioning for a hug. She put down her glass and walk into his embrace.

"You're not alone, Scherbatsky. You got me and Tracy here. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise," he said while pulling her into a hug.

They pulled apart after a while. Ted glanced at the clock and said, "Well, in about half an hour Penny's going to cry and wake everyone up. I sugg—"

"I really should get going. I'm not good with crying babies," said Robin half-jokingly.

Ted walked her to the door. She was just about to say goodnight when Ted cut her.

"And just so you know, you can never stop me from trying to cheer you up. Got it?"

She just smiled and left.

* * *

_(Author's Note: This is short, next one will have some suprising cameo. And we all know that review can stop war ;)_


	4. Chapter 4

_(Author's Note: The first part of this chapter happened between Purple Giraffe—where Ted invited Robin to have beer with his friends and at the end Robin played Ted's wingman—and Last Forever Part 1, the flashback where they hang out in the bar and officially accepted Robin into the gang. So basically, they weren't friends yet. The second part was after the Halloween party in 2016. _

_And since I can't help it, there will be S.H.I.E.L.D cameo in this chapter. Don't take it seriously. :)_

_To srcrib: thank you! Have a safe trip!_

_To bikelock28: thank you! You're boosting my confidence :)_

_To PeaceLoveLennon: I'm trying to be true to the characters, it's really hard! Fingers crossed!_

_To both Guest: thanks for the review! Maybe we all have different sense so that's why the finale made sense to some but didn't to some other, haha.)_

_(Disclaimer: neither How I Met Your Mother nor S.H.I.E.L.D belongs to me)_

* * *

**_Chapter 4. Two Offers_**

**_New York, September 2005_**

Robin just finished reporting a story about a gorilla playing bass when she bumped into Lily Aldrin. She was about to get into a cab when Lily stole it.

"Sorry! In a rush!" yelled Lily, obviously not recognizing whose taxi she was stealing.

Robin quickly grabbed Lily's shoulder, "Lily?!"

"Oh, Robin! Didn't see you there!" the redhead smiled sheepishly.

"You just stole my cab!" stated Robin.

"Yeaaah... about that," said Lily, "you go get the next one! Bye, Robin!"

Lily hopped into the car before Robin could even say 'hey!' A minute later her phone buzzed. Lily had sent her a text.

_'Sorry about the cab. See you at MacLaren's tonight!'_

Outrageous, Robin thought. She just stole her cab and then she wanted to hang out. Were all people in New York like this? Back in Canada, people don't steal someone's cab and then drink beers. Wait—in Canada, people don't steal other people's cab, period.

Robin didn't replied immediately. After their first drink two weeks ago, she had not tried to contact any of those four people. She did have a great time with them and they seemed to like her instantly. The problem was, she wasn't sure if _she_ liked them.

First, there was Ted, who stole a French horn and threw three consecutive parties for her. No doubt he was the sweetest guy she knew, but also the most hopeless romantic ever. Then there was Lily, small-sized but can be very intimidating at times. With her came Marshall, freakishly tall but surprisingly helpless in front of his girlfriend. And what's up with that man who wore suit all the time, anyway? What's his name again? Barney?

To sum it up, they seemed a bit like an odd-ball to Robin.

On the other hand, Robin had to admit that she had the most fun with them. She hadn't laughed much since she moved here in April, but the last time they hang out, she had the biggest laugh. Plus, she had a gut feeling that these four mixed-up people were going to bring a lot of adventures to her life.

So, without much thinking, she typed: '_Sure. Later!'_

* * *

**_New York, October 2016_**

_'Bang! Bang! Bang!'_

The sound of gun exploding was ringing in her ears. After storming out of Lily's farewell/Halloween party, Robin went straight to the shooting range. She was so upset about what happened earlier, she didn't even bother to wear earmuffs.

However, multiple loud explosions still couldn't muffled Lily's voice she kept replaying in her head. Disappointment. Betrayal. That's what she heard when Lily spoke.

_'So, what? This is all just over then? Our whole friendship is just over?'_

All her life, Robin had never had female friends. When she was a kid, the only other girl she knew was her sister Kathy, and then they weren't close either. Her father practically raised her as a boy, in result making her acted more comfortably around boys, hence no girl friends.

So when Lily approached her one day, offering a drink, she never really expected to be friends with her, let alone bestfriends. But then Lily accepted her into the group, even though she rejected Ted, Lily's bestfriend, three times. After that, things just went well between the two girls. Before Robin realized it, they had become very close to the point that they became each other's maid of honor.

But now, eleven years after they first met, Robin finally broke Lily's heart. In fact, the only person in the gang whose heart she hadn't torn was Marshall. She broke Ted's heart many years ago; she broke Barney's just earlier this year; and tonight she did break Lily's heart. Why did she have to be so evil like this?

She didn't want their friendship to be over. She meant it when she said that they would always be friends. But she's also serious when she said she couldn't do this anymore. Hanging out with the gang now only reminded her of her past mistakes, namely Ted (who she probably should have ended up with) and Barney (who she lost because she put her career ahead of him).

"You might have ear damage, shooting like that," said a male voice from behind her. Robin turned around and found a middle-age man wearing black suit, standing stiffly.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but that's really none of your business," replied her curtly, then continued firing her gun. Impressively, she had had shot bull's eye every time, not a single miss.

"You'd make a good sniper," said the middle-age man, "We could use a skill like that."

Robin asked but didn't bother to turned, "Who's we?"

"Forgive my manners, Miss Scherbartsky. I'm Phil Coulson, from S.H.I.E.L.D," he paused. Robin turned around to face the man. His face was plastered with smile the whole time, which seemed fake to Robin. What was shield anyway?

"It's a security agency," replied Coulson before Robin opened her mouth again.

Robin thought she might have seen this guy before as she scrutinized him. And then she remembered. About three days ago, this man was standing on the street across her building, just standing and staring, for a full ten minutes.

"We have a job offer for you," said Coulson. There's something in the way he spoke that made Robin feel suspicious. Calmly yet eerily.

"What kind of job?" asked Robin. Clearly she wasn't going to take any job offer from a strange man, but she was intrigued.

"Saving the world," answered Coulson, "S.H.I.E.L.D do many stuffs, but mostly we deal with protecting people. We've been watching you for a while and we think you could be a valuable team member."

"What's in it for me?" asked Robin.

"We can give you anything you want. A new life, even," said Coulson. His voice hinted that he knew something about her current situation with her friends.

"This is my card. You have 24 hours to take the offer," Coulson handed her a business card that appeared to be blank, but if Robin looked closely, she could see writings in white ink. When she's done examining the card, Coulson was already gone. What a strange person.

She pocketed the card and went home. Her head was throbbing, her ears kept ringing, and her whole body just demanding for sleep. She hadn't had a full night rest since forever. She was tired, physically and emotionally.

The whole ride back home, she couldn't help thinking about what the strange man said. _A new life_. Maybe a new place, without the memory of people in her past. Did she want that? Did she want to start a fresh?

She fished her keys from her pocket and quickly come inside. Checking her voice mail, she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

_'You have one message.' _[Beep]

_'Robin, this is Jeremy. So... about the London job. Have you thought about it? They really want you there. Call me back as soon as you get this. Bye!' _[Beep]

Yeah, right. She almost forgot about it. This morning her boss called and mentioned about a job in London. Her headache worsened. What was this? The universe giving her sign that she should leave?

She couldn't possibly deal with this right now. She needed to sleep.

* * *

_(Author's Note: anyone who reviews gets a visit from an Avenger of their choice! Mine is Iron Man!)_


	5. Chapter 5

_(Author's Note: I hope this Robin is not too touchy-feely. _

_To Anonymous: Thanks for the review! I'll work harder :)_

_To Lori : Thanks! I will keep it coming. ;)_

_To_ Violet_: that was one of my favorite episode, too!_

_To Sofia: thank you! I love Barney and Robin but I love the finale too. I guess I'm just glad that Robin got her happy ending, don't really care with who! Haha_

_To forbiddenharmony7: The final scene was sweet, right? Although it bugged me how Robin doesn't age at all. She's supposed to be 50 in the finale, but she looks 32 all the way!)_

_(Disclaimer: I own Robin, of course. Yeah, right.)_

* * *

**_Chapter 5. Decision_**

**_New York, October 2016_**

The next day, Robin called in sick. As a workaholic this was the first time she had done so. Nevertheless, she really did need a break. She spent the day doing chores that had been piling up since she was too busy working and cleaning the apartment until it was uncharacteristically neat. After that she went to a pet shop just to look at dogs and puppies. She missed having dogs around.

When she got home later that night, Lily was standing in the hallway.

"You weren't in the morning show, I called and they said you're sick," said Lily, holding up the bag in her hand, "So I brought soup."

Robin's face broke into a smile.

"Let's get inside," Robin opened the door and let Lily slided in.

"You're not really sick, are you?" asked Lily.

"Well, no, not that sick," Robin answered. Lily looked at her strangely.

"But I did have headache!"

Lily shook her head but proceeded to open the soup carton. She looked around and noticed a different air in the apartment.

"Did you clean up? Since when did you clean?"

"What do you mean? I always clean up!"

"Please, Robin. When we lived together I always did the cleaning," said Lily, referring to the time she broke up from Marshall and Robin gave her a place to stay. "Now, eat up!"

They both sat on the couch. Robin took the soup.

"Isn't this the place that gives people food poisoning?" asked Robin.

"Just eat it, Scherbatsky! Pregnant lady here!" Over times, Lily had become so used to using pregnancies to get what she wanted.

Robin decided to take her chances and eat the soup.

Her phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw Jeremy's number.

"Sorry, gotta take it," she said to Lily, putting down the soup and picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

She talked with Jeremy for five minutes. He was demanding answer for the London job, of course. Robin told him this was a big decision and she needed more time to think about it. Finally, Jeremy made her promise to give answer tomorrow morning.

"Who's that? What decision you're talking about?" asked Lily. She didn't sound happy.

Robin breathed deeply then sat straighter. "I have a job offer from London."

"So, what? You'll be there for... a couple of months?" asked Lily, obviously thinking this was just her usual assignment.

"No, Lily, they want me to be the lead anchor. It's a three-year contract," answered Robin carefully.

Lily looked confused, "bu-but London is so far!"

"I know, I know. That's why I can't decide right away," said Robin.

"But you're considering it," said Lily. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, I am," replied Robin. She could see Lily was hurt that she was even considering it.

"Look. I know this is big. But maybe this is for the best, maybe this is what I need. Maybe I need a fresh start..." explained Robin.

"Do you really hate us that much?" asked Lily. She was practically crying now.

"No, no, of course not, Lily," said Robin. It hurted her to see Lily this upset. "It's just that... Everyone is moving forward with their lives. You and Marshall... and Ted and Tracy... After what happened this year, this can be the change that I need."

"And—and it's not like we're not gonna talk anymore, right? There's phone, videocall, and I can always fly back here sometimes," continued Robin.

Lily was still weeping and Robin fought back the tears forming in her eyes. It took Lily a couple of minutes to calm herself.

"Is this really what you want?" asked Lily, wiping her eyes. Robin nodded.

Lily threw her arms around Robin and hugged her tight. "Promise me you'll call every week—no, every day. Promise me you'll tell me every big moment you have, okay? Promise me you'll still be a part of our lives."

Robin nodded and nodded, she couldn't afford talking or else she would cry like a baby.

Finally they pulled apart. Lily was smiling now, and it made Robin feel better instantly. This was not so bad, after all.

"Marvin's gonna miss you so much. He really loves his Aunt Robin," said Lily, holding Robin at arm's length.

Robin cracked a smile. It's really weird how close she got to the little boy despite her awkwardness when it came to kids.

"I'll miss that little punk, too," said Robin.

Lily protested , "Hey! That's my punk!"

The two hugged again. And for the first time that night, Robin finally had a good night sleep.

* * *

_(Author's Note: God, I hope this isn't too mushy for Robin.)_


	6. Chapter 6

_So sorry for the long, long, long wait. Not that anyone is waiting, right. Haha. _

_Let's say this happened during the time Marshall told the group that he's going to be a judge in Last Forever Part 2. While the gang was celebrating Marshall's big moment, Robin had her own big moment._

_And since I've been watching too much Sherlock lately, I've decided to add a little cameo of DI Graham Lestrade—wait, is it Gavin? Greg? Nah, I was just having fun, don't take it seriously._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Robin Scherbatsky or Detective Lestrade, or Buckingham Palace, obviously._

* * *

**_Chapter 6. Living London_**

**_London, 2018_**

_'TV Reporter solved crime and saved lives.'_

_'World Wide News' Robin Scherbatsky to receive honorary award from The Palace.'_

Robin tossed the newspapers away, mouth slightly smirking. She looked at her own reflection in the mirror and then decided that she was done. The clock pointed at 7.25 p.m—Detective Lestrade should come any minute now.

Just then, she heard a knock in the door. Walking carefully so that her right wrist doesn't bump into anything, she opened the door for the older detective.

"Hi, come in!" greeted Robin. Detective Lestrade stepped in and handed her a bucket of flowers.

"I hope you like lilies," said him, smiling shyly. It had been so long since he had a date so he was naturally nervous.

Robin took the flowers with her left hand, "Thank you, Detective. Let me pu—"

"No, I'll do that," cut the detective. He took over the white lilies and went to the kitchen to put it in the vase.

"How's your hand, by the way?" asked him, raising his voice so that Robin could hear him. He found a vase and put water in it.

"It's just a sprain. The doctor said it'll heal in a week, tops," answered Robin. Lestrade appeared from the kitchen and looked at her strangely.

"What? Is something wrong?" asked Robin.

"No, no. Everything's perfect. You look... fantastic," said Lestrade.

"Really? I've never been in the Palace before. Do you think this is appropriate?" asked Robin again, making a 360 turn. She wore an elegant maroon dress with a small pin in the shape of maple leaf.

"Yes, of course. It's your night anyway, I think they will love you," said Lestrade, offering his left arm. "Now, shall we?"

Robin smiled and took his arm, letting the older man led her to a limousin.

The past week had been extraordinary for Robin. Although this wasn't the first time that her job as a journalist gave her a unique experience (remember when she landed a helicopter by herself?), this was definitely the first time she got a medal of honor for it.

It happened last Wednesday. She had been researching vastly about the triple murder case, a case so horrible that it was practically the only thing on the news for over a month. As a reporter, she was intrigued to try and complete the story, which then led her to investigate the crime scene by herself. She saw a suspicious man and followed him. Long story short, the man turned out to be the murderer, she got captured along with three other women (one of them was the Queen's favorite niece), and she had never felt so grateful for her shooting skills.

A day later she got an invitation to the Palace. So, she asked Detective Lestrade to be her escort and here they were, on the limo to meet the first lady of Britain.

Detective Lestrade touched her arm lightly, breaking her train of thoughts, "We're here."

The ceremony went on smoothly. Robin was pretty nervous about receiving an honor from the Queen Herself, but luckily she didn't do anything stupid, save from her grinning too much. But what the hell, she had the right to be proud of herself after all.

After that was the royal supper. There were various kinds of European foods which, sadly, were served in a small portion. Robin ate all three courses and still found herself craving for fries. The talk around the table was mostly boring as she didn't understand the British's obsession about football and cricket. (Really, why would they watch a sport that doesn't include fighting in it?)

Once Detective Lestrade caught her yawning and immediately kicked her in the shin. She swore under her breath and gave the detective a look. He just smiled politely to the other guests.

Dinner was followed by the dance. She quietly retreated to the balcony with a glass of wine, looking for fresh air.

It had been two years. Robin Scherbatsky had been living in London for two years. Everything was different here, yet it was also the same. She was the lead anchor for WWN London, and even though at first she wasn't sure that people would like her, she actually managed to steal their hearts. Everything was going well for her.

Still, sometimes, she couldn't help but think back about her life in New York—about her friends—especially in a big moment like this. She remembered making a promise to be there for their big moments and to let them in on hers. But she had broken that promise, over and over again. She wasn't there when Lily gave birth to her third child (although in her defense, she did send a card), and she didn't even know Ted and Tracy had a son until a year later. Who knew what else she had missed?

"There you are! I've been looking for you!"

Detective Lestrade approached and stood by her side. Robin wiped away any thoughts about her friends and tried to concentrate on her date tonight.

"What are you doing up here?" asked Lestrade.

"Just enjoying the view," she answered nonchalantly.

"And the wine," said Lestrade, gesturing her almost-empty glass.

"And the wine, of course," she chuckled a bit.

"Do you want to dance?" asked Lestrade hesitatingly. Robin must admit, he did look charming in his nervousness.

"Lead the way, Detective." Smiling, she put her left arm around Lestrade's, "But don't sulk when I _accidentally_ kick your foot."

* * *

Later that night, after Lestrade had taken her back to her house, Robin stared at the lilies in the purple vase, blatantly white against the dim light of her living room.

She had half a mind to call Lily, to let her know about the big moment she just had. Would it be too late, though, to try and keep this promise? The last time she had called was a year and a half ago!

"Oh, screw it!" said Robin. She quickly dialed Lily's number before her courage melted.

"Hi. Lily? It's Robin."

* * *

_I don't wanna sound whiny but I have been having issues with my writings lately. Have any of you felt like you just can't write anything decent anymore? How do you deal with it? Help me... *sigh*_


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry for last chapter! And sorry it took forever to update. But you guys are really cool! Thanks for the reviews and support! Supermega thanks to __bikelock28__, who kicked me back to writing. You're right, I won't be able to do it unless I'm enjoying it. Anyway, this chapter has been sitting on my laptop for a long time, but I refuse to upload before the next chapter is ready. I think it's gonna be like my uploading policy, haha. _

_Anyway, this chapter happens when Ted and co went to watch Robots vs Wrestling. _

_I love you, internet people. Please click the review button afterwards!_

_Disclaimer: yeah, it's mine. Really? You'd believe it?_

**_Chapter 7._**

**_New York, 2019_**

The air was uncharacteristically warm on that October night. Robin, who just got off the plane from London, quickly ditched her foremost layer of clothing, leaving her in a thin jacket, and hopped on a cab.

"8th and 8th Park Slope, please," said Robin.

"He-_llo_!" said a familiar voice, dragging the last vowel.

"Ranjit!"

Her first night back in New York, and she ran into her favorite driver on the world.

"Haven't seen you for ages! How are you?" asked Robin, smiling happily, "Wait, didn't you become some kind of limo boss?"

Ranjit laughed. "I like to drive around sometimes like the good old time!"

As Ranjit drove her to her new apartment, they catched up on trivial things. Ever the chatter, Ranjit rambled about his limo business as well as his fifteen grandchildren.

"And then he pooped all over the new driver! And it was green! And mushy, and—"

"Whoa, whoa, too much information there, Ranjit," said Robin, her face was red from laughing.

They arrived at her apartment and Ranjit helped bringing her suitcases upstairs.

"Thank you, Ranjit," said Robin, handing him money. Ranjit shook his head and said, "On the house, for old friend."

Robin smiled and hugged him friendly. It was nice to be back again, she thought.

* * *

The McLaren's Pub was unusually calm and quiet as Robin walked past the door. The 'No Boogie Boarding' sign was still there and Robin had to suppress a grin while she remembered that stupid hurricane.

"Hey, look! It's Robin Scherbatsky!"

Carl greeted her with the kind of enthusiasm he rarely showed. She approached the bar.

"Carl! It's so good to see you again!" greeted Robin, hugging the bartender lightly.

"Good to see you too," replied Carl. He looked older than Robin had expected.

"The usual?" asked Carl.

"You know me so well," Robin sat on the stool while Carl put a glass of neat scotch in front of her.

"So, I heard you got married," said Robin after a while, playing with her glass.

Carl blushed. It's so weird seeing a macho guy like him blush. "Yep. Got a boy too."

"Congratulations! Here's for you." Robin raised her glass before taking another sip. Carl took the salute with a polite smile.

"Yeah, thanks," said the man, "What about you? I heard you're quite famous now,"

"Yeaaah... not that famous, really," said Robin, not wanting to sound obnoxious.

"Not that famous, my ass. What was that about you capturing murderer or something?"

Robin laughed, "not my fault that I know how to kick some ass."

"Let me know not to piss you off in the future then."

Carl continued serving some other customers. Robin looked around the bar. There's nothing much different in this place. There were a few people she recognized as regulars, though there were a lot of new faces too. The old jukebox was still there, but the gang's usual booth was empty.

When she set foot at this bar, she was half-hoping to run into the gang. So some part of her was sad to see the empty booth. But another part of her was actually relieved, as she didn't know how it would be to meet them again after almost three years The last time she tried to reconnect with Lily, her call went to the answering machine, and to her dismay, Lily never called back.

"Say, Carl," said Robin, calling the bartender's attention.

"Huh?" answered Carl absently.

"Do those guys still hang around here? Sometimes?" asked Robin, carefully.

The bartender immediately knew who she was referring to, "Yeah. Sometimes. In fact they were here today. They're gonna watch Robots versus Wrestlers, I think."

Robin chuckled. She imagined five adults, four of which were parents, watching robots fighting wrestlers in silly costumes. "Funny how things haven't changed, right?"

"Not really, though. Do you know that Barney's going to be a father? Yeah, I heard the girl he screwed with yelling at him outside the bar. Imagine that, Barney as dad!" said Carl.

Robin spurted her drink. "What?!"

"Yeah, exactly my reaction," said Carl, continuing wiping a glass with a washcloth. "Apparently, he got a girl pregnant. He's gonna be a dad! Weird, right?"

Robin was still processing this new information. Hell, she might need a few days processing this. Barney and a kid?

"Although, if you ask me, I think this may be good for him. When my son was born, I was a changed man. Parenthood do that to people, you know," said Carl again.

Robin just nodded. She didn't know how to feel about this. Her ex-husband was going to have a child. Her ex-husband Barney—who was as bad as her with commitment—was going to be a father.

Surprisingly, she didn't feel anything... particular. No sadness, no bitterness, no nothing. If anything, she agreed with Carl. This might actually be a good thing for Barney. She couldn't help but smiling when the picture of Barney taking a suited-up toddler to the park creeped up to her mind.

"You want another one?" asked Carl, offering her another glass of her favorite drink.

"Nah, thanks. I should go home. I just got off a nine-hour flight from London. Could use some sleep." Robin finished her drink and stood up. "Good night, Carl."

"See you around, Robin."

Robin waved to Carl as she made her exit. Clutching her jacket closer to her body, she decided to take a walk back home.


End file.
